What is a memoir?
Sage Kay
Writer, reader, outfit repeater.
For most readers, fiction stories dominate their reading list. Epic fantasies with dragons and magic, horrors with monsters and killers—and these are all well and good, but what about the reader that wants to read a story that is real? A 100% true (give or take) story that the reader can relate to and learn from because it's reality. Well, dear reader, I give you memoirs.
What is a memoir?
Memoirs are a $ type of nonfiction story$ . They are a historical or biographical account of an individual. A memoir is written from the individual’s perspective but doesn’t necessarily have to be written by the individual themself. The writer gives a narrative based on specific experiences in the individual’s life, such as time at war or the transition of small town living to a big city, with personal and emotional details that truly give a sense of the subject's life in that time. When the memoir is autobiographical, the writer will often reflect on these life experiences, what they learned from them and what meaning they’ve gleaned from it.
What is the purpose of a memoir?
Memoirs can be great for readers looking for wisdom based on others’ real-life experiences. I, for one, would much rather learn from others’ mistakes before making them myself. "The wise man learns from the mistakes of others" and all that.
Memoirs are also a great way to get a feel for life events that you may never experience yourself. Learn what it's like to live through a war and how it affects life thereafter without doing the warring yourself. Gain insight from an unimaginable tragedy without doing the processing and self-work yourself. Just remember to bring some tissues, probably.